Elton John has praised Russell T Davies’ Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin for providing “an incredibly moving account” of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

The drama, which stars Years & Years singer Olly Alexander, follows the lives of four friends living together as the HIV/AIDS crisis begins to emerge in the UK.

• READ MORE: Olly Alexander on It’s A Sin: “There’s not been a British Aids drama on this scale ever”

Praising the series on Instagram, Elton wrote: “It’s A Sin is an incredibly moving account of the arrival of AIDS in the U.K. in the 1980’s.

“Watching it, so many sad and devastating memories came flooding back. Many people were callous, ignorant and cruel. Thank God we have come so far since then.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

He added: “Hats off to @russelltdavies63 on creating this moving testament to a pivotal and important moment in LGBTQ history. The cast are sublime. Congratulations all round. A TRIUMPH of creativity and humanity.”

John is also well-known for his humanitarian work and he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 to battle the epidemic, which has since raised over $125 million to support programs in 55 countries around the world.

In a five-star review, NME hailed It’s A Sin as a “landmark AIDS drama with a banging ’80s soundtrack”.

“It’s a Sin would be hard-hitting in any year,” our review stated. “By telling this story through the eyes of warm, flawed and sometimes frustrating characters you’ll care about, it offers a heartbreaking reminder of the countless lives claimed by HIV/AIDS.”